Rick Perry plans exit as Trump's energy secretary

1of36While Rick Perry’s exit isn’t imminent and one person familiar with the matter said the former Texas governor still hasn’t fully made up his mind, three people said he has been seriously considering his departure for weeks. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)Photo: Patrick Semansky, Associated Press

2of36Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

3of36Jeff SessionsAttorney generalThe former U.S. senator from Alabama joined the Trump administration after the president was inaugurated and was pushed out on Nov. 7, 2018.Photo: Jim Watson/Getty Images

4of36Scott PruittTitle: EPA Administrator
Pruitt served as EPA administrator from Feb. 17, 2017, to July 6, 2018, resigning amid ethics scandals "Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this," Trump tweeted. Pruitt had been accused of accepting a below market rate rent on an apartment owned by an oil industry executive and for using his office for personal benefit. Photo: Molly Riley, TNS

5of36Ty CobbTitle: White House lawyer
Cobb, who had overseen dealing with the special counsel investigation, announced his retrirement on May 2, 2018. Photo: GABRIELLA DEMCZUK

6of36Tom BossertTitle: Homeland Security Adviser
Bossert was Trump's first Homeland Security adviser. He resigned April 10, 2018, a day after John Bolton began his tenure as National Security Adviser. Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press

7of36H.R. McMasterTitle: National Security Adviser
McMaster served from Feb. 20, 2017, to April 9, 2018, after being forced out. Conservatives didn't like McMaster, and he was said to have a testy relationship with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Chief of Staff John Kelly. Photo: Evan Vucci, Associated Press

8of36Hope HicksTitle: Communications DirectorDays: 405
Hicks was considered one of Trump's most loyal aides, before resigning in February 2018. In a statement, the president praised Hicks for her work over the last three years. He says he "will miss having her by my side."
The news came a day after Hicks was interviewed for nine hours by the panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump's campaign and Russia.Photo: Evan Vucci, Associated Press

9of36David ShulkinTitle: Secretary of Veterans AffairsDays: 408
Trump fired Shulkin in March 2018 amid an ethics scandal and a mounting rebellion within the agency. Shulkin was the second Cabinet secretary to depart over controversies involving expensive travel, following former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price's resignation in September 2017.Photo: Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg

10of36Josh RaffelTitle: Senior communications aide

Raffel announced he was leaving in February 2018 after less than a year on the job. Raffel, right, is shown with Jared Kushner and Matthew Hiltzik at a party in 2013.Photo: Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

11of36John DowdTitle: Trump's lead attorney for special investigation
He resigned in March 2018.Photo: JOHN MARSHALL MANTEL, NYT

12of36Rex TillersonTitle: Secretary of StateDays: 406
Tillerson bid farewell to the State Department in March 2018, just over a year on the job. Tillerson reportedly fell out of favor with Trump and only learned of his firing when an aide showed him a tweet from the president announcing his replacement. Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images

13of36John McEnteeTitle: Trump's personal aideDays: 417

McEntee reportedly was forced out of his position and escorted from the White House on March 12, 2018, after his security clearance was revoked. (Al Drago/The New York Times)Photo: AL DRAGO, NYT

14of36Gary CohnTitle: Director of the U.S. National Economic CouncilDays: 411
Cohn, the former president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, joined the Trump administration as the director of the U.S. National Economic Council. Cohn left the administration in March 2018, while he had been the leading internal opponent to Trump's planned tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. He has tried to orchestrate an eleventh-hour effort to push Trump to reverse course.Photo: Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg

In late January 2018, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials said Fitzgerald’s complex financial interests had caused conflicts of interest. Alex Azar, who was sworn in as head of the department the day before, accepted her resignation. (AP Photo/David Tulis, File)
Photo: David Tulis, Associated Press

17of36Andrew McCabeTitle: FBI Deputy Director
McCabe served as acting director of the bureau after James Comey was fired and until Christopher Wray was named the FBI chief. Although he announced on Jan. 29, 2018, that he was stepping down and went on paid leave, he was fired on March 16, 2018, two days before he would have received a full early pension. Photo: Alex Brandon, Associated Press

18of36Omarosa Manigault-NewmanTitle: Director of Communications for the White House Office of Public LiaisonDays: 366

The former "Apprentice" reality star and Trump confidante said in December 2017 that she resigned, denying reports that she was fired and had to be removed from the White House. Manigault was in charge of outreach to historically black colleges and universities, but her day-to-day duties were something of a mystery.Photo: Drew Angerer

19of36Dina PowellTitle: Deputy national security adviserDays: 358
Jared Kushner called her "a valued member of the Israeli-Palestinian peace team." Her departure was announced Dec. 28, 2017, but she continued to serve in the White House until Jan. 12, 2018. She is shown with Ivanka Trump, left, and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch.Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

20of36Tom PriceTitle: Secretary of Health and Human ServicesDays: 232

Price resigned Sept. 29, 2017, amid controversy over his use of private jets for government travel. The former congressman and orthopedic surgeon took as many as 26 chartered planes and spent an estimated $1 million on domestic trips and military flights to Africa, Asia and Europe.Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta, STF

21of36Sebastian GorkaTitle: Deputy assistant to the president
Days: 208
Gorka was a deputy adviser focused on national security and counterterrorism and he resigned in late August 2017, just a week after Bannon's resignation.

22of36Steve BannonTitle: Chief strategist
Days: 211
Bannon resigned on Aug. 18, 2017. The announcement came after President Trump made comments about the violent clashes between white nationalists and anti-racist counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va.

Scaramucci was on the job until July 31, 2017, when he resigned after the New Yorker published a detailed account of a phone conversation between reporter Ryan Lizza and a profane Scaramucci. The New York Times reported that Scaramucci was dumped on the request of new chief of staff John Kelly. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Photo: JIM WATSON, Contributor / AFP/Getty Images

24of36Reince PriebusTitle: Chief of Staff
Days: 190
Trump announced on Twitter that he was replacing Priebus with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.Photo: Alex Wong

25of36Sean SpicerTitle: White House Press SecretaryDays: 183
Spicer resigned on July 21, 2017, shortly after Anthony Sacarmucci was appointed to the position of White House Communications Director.

26of36Walter ShaubTitle: Former ethics office director
Days: 180
Shaub wrote a letter of resignation on July 6 following clashes with the Trump administration. Photo: TJ KIRKPATRICK, NYT

27of36Mike DubkeTitle: Former communications director
Days: 74
Dubke resigned on May 18, 2017, amid frustrations over the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He stayed on during the transition and Trump's first foreign trip, with his last day on June 2, 2017. Photo: Andrew Harnik, Associated Press

28of36James Comey Title:
FBI director
Reason for leaving: fired
Days: 109 (1,344 in full tenure)
Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017, over his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation and amid his investigation of Trump’s campaign and if it had ties to Russia’s meddling. His tenure began June 21, 2013.Photo: Washington Post photo by Matt McClain

29of36K.T. McFarlandTitle: Former deputy national security advisor
Days: 117
McFarland was asked to resign on April 9, 2017, but became the U.S. ambassador to Singapore. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press

30of36Katie WalshTitle: Former deputy chief of staff
Days: 69
Walsh resigned on March 30, 2017 for an advisory position with political groups that support President Trump.Photo: Paul Morigi

31of36Michael Flynn Title: Former national security advisor
Days: 25
Flynn resigned on Feb. 13, 2017, after he admitted to give “incomplete information” to Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. Photo: Carolyn Kaster

32of36Sally YatesTitle: Acting attorney generalDays: 11
After nearly 30 years at the Department of Justice, Yates took over on Jan. 20, 2017, with the resignation of Obama's Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Yates was fired Jan. 30, 2017, for telling DOJ attorneys not to defend an executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim countries.Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press

33of36John KellyTitle: White House Chief of Staff
Days: 520
He served as Trump's first Secretary of Homeland Security, but became Chief of Staff after six months with the departure of Reince Priebus. He was the first career military officer to serve in that role since Alexander Haig. He lasted from July 31, 2017 to Jan. 2, 2019.Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY, AFP/Getty Images

34of36Randolph "Tex" AllesTitle: Director of the US Secret Service
Days: 713
The Texas A&M graduate was the 25th director of the Secret Service until his firing on Monday, April 8, 2019, after a security breach at Mar-a-Lago. Trump reportedly referred to him as "Dumbo."Photo: Andrew Caballero-reynolds/afp, TNS

35of36Linda McMahonTitle: Small Business Administration Administrator
Days: 787
McMahon stepped down from the SBA on April 12, 2019, to head America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC.Photo: Associated Press

36of36Rod RosensteinTitle: Deputy Attorney GeneralDays: 734
Rosenstein submitted his letter of resignation on Monday, April 29, 2019, with his final day on May 11.
Photo: Washington Post photo by Calla Kessler

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to leave the Trump administration and is finalizing the terms and timing of his departure, according to two people familiar with his plans.

While Perry’s exit isn’t imminent and one person familiar with the matter said the former Texas governor still hasn’t fully made up his mind, three people said he has been seriously considering his departure for weeks. All of the people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

An Energy Department spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, rejected the idea that Perry would be leaving the administration any time soon. “He is happy where he is serving President Trump and leading the Department of Energy,” she said in a statement.

The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Perry, an Air Force veteran who was previously Texas’s longest-serving governor, has enjoyed a good rapport with President Donald Trump. Trump personally asked Perry if he’d take over as Homeland Security secretary, before the president asked Kirstjen Nielsen to resign earlier this month, two of the people said. Perry declined, they said.

Perry has been preparing the agency’s deputy secretary, Dan Brouillette, for the transition, two people said. It’s unclear if Trump would name Brouillette as secretary. Part of Perry’s motivation in seeking to leave before the end of Trump’s first term is a desire to build his income before retiring, two people said.

Considered for Pentagon

Perry, 69, was previously considered for Defense Secretary, but ultimately was tapped to lead the Department of Energy. The agency has an annual budget of around $30 billion and is responsible for work ranging from safe-guarding nuclear weapons to maintaining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

During his tenure, Perry championed the national laboratory system and other department programs that the Trump administration sought to cut, and he tried unsuccessfully to rescue unprofitable coal and nuclear plants.

Perry hasn’t been a seamless fit with the Energy Department, where the two most recent secretaries had PhDs in physics. Perry was an animal science major at Texas A&M, and he once advocated abolishing the department during his own presidential bid.

Rumors of Perry’s departure from the agency have popped up before. Trump is said to have considered him as a contender to lead the Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs departments.

Perry is familiar with border issues from his nearly 15 years as governor of Texas, but his views on immigration have not always aligned with Trump’s. In 2012, Perry’s presidential campaign foundered after he accused his Republican opponents of not having a “heart” about immigrants. Texas has a large Latino population, and Perry helped advance legislation that let undocumented children of immigrants pay in-state tuition for college.